[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-51":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312433,4518,"Chapter 51: Black Tower Maze","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>“Ssh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crossbow bolt sliced through the air, piercing the skull of a corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stupid corpse never even sensed where the attack came from before it died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well done, Jiang Xian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stout, heavyset teenager slammed his palm hard onto the shoulder of the slender boy beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow! Fatty Zhang, can you be lighter? My shoulder’s about to break!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian rubbed his shoulder and sighed helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di, the Fatty, grinned: “It’s only because you’re so damn good—your own crossbow’s got that much power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At twenty meters, you still hit. If we had more arrows, we’d have wiped out all the corpses by now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian sighed: “Corpses aren’t the worst—those beautiful big birds are the real killers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They react too fast, too agile. My crossbow’s too slow—I can’t even land a shot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di didn’t care: “So what? Once I level up, I’ll dump all my stats into defense. You hide behind me and shoot all you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di’s face beamed with cheer, utterly free of any despair from the apocalypse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian shot back mercilessly: “Ha, you? With that fat body? Fine as a meat shield—but I bet you collapse before you even reach the front line.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di’s face flushed red: “What do you know? This isn’t fat—it’s muscular!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know those ancient generals? Every one of them had a big belly. That’s where real strength comes from.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Zhang Di pulled up his shirt, revealing a solid, unified set of abs, and slapped them twice with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve switched to Warrior. With my current stats, I’d be a legendary warrior in ancient times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian sneered: “Keep bragging. You’ve got ten strength points. A legendary warrior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seriously—can you even beat a single corpse? I really doubt it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di’s face turned crimson: “Who says I can’t? I’ll go find one right now and show you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Don’t expect me to lend you my crossbow, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t need it! You think just because you switched to Rogue you’re invincible? Warriors can charge through Shaba City seven times over!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Zhang Di swung a kitchen knife he’d somehow acquired, muttering inside jokes Jiang Xian didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, Fatty Zhang—we’ve got real business...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground shook violently. Zhang Di lost his balance, and the knife flew from his hand, nearly striking Jiang Xian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Jiang Xian not been skilled in handcrafting and quick on his feet, he’d have been injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry! Sorry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di was still apologizing, but Jiang Xian didn’t react—he stared blankly out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di turned his head too, and saw a black tower rising suddenly from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right where Jiang Xian had just killed the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black tower had no door—or rather, its entrance stood wide open, as if welcoming anyone inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking down the empty, silent street, Fang Shi didn’t bother killing corpses—he simply leapt and ran across abandoned cars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The death aura of the Firewing Bird clung heavily to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a few foolish ones had approached at first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, not a single Firewing Bird dared come near.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bold stride also drew a trailing horde of corpses—and caught the attention of survivors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great hero, please save me!” someone begged through a window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi wore black cultivation robes and wielded a long sword, leaping across cars—exactly like a martial hero from an ancient drama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I left some information under this building. Come get it yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi didn’t have inner energy—he couldn’t fling a single sheet of paper to the fifth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those too afraid to come down—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Fang Shi never said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already slipped the paper into the door crack. If they still wouldn’t come out, they were beyond saving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who won’t save themselves won’t be saved by others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this apocalypse, relying on others to survive was the worst mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mountains crumble, people run away—only yourself is reliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Fang Shi not relied on himself, he’d have died when the human settlement fell before his rebirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t have struggled for so long before being reborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along this journey, Fang Shi had seen plenty of signs of survivors saving themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tragedies happened, yes—but so did successes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People like Zhao Wenjun were never the only ones. Humans weren’t cowardly creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In disaster, someone always stood up and held up the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fatty Zhang, it was your stupid idea. I followed you in here—I’m just walking to my death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian growled. Zhang Di now had bandages wrapped around his waist, with faint blood seeping through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, Jiang Xian, you didn’t want to come? If I hadn’t taken that hit for you, you’d be dead already.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why you got hurt!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian now regretted it bitterly. Since the apocalypse, being trapped in one place had worn out the boys’ patience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that their youthful boldness and curiosity about the newly appeared black tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And boredom was unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing it, they’d seized a chance and sneaked toward the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, it was only ten or so meters from the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They ran into the tower before the Firewing Birds overhead reacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, here they were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the tower was a maze. They turned left and right, completely lost, unable to even find their way back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse, the maze held monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were weak, easily killed by Zhang Di and Jiang Xian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others, like the goat-man ahead of them, were strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they not run fast enough, they’d have been cleaved in half by its axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, these monsters had territorial instincts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they escaped beyond a certain range and stayed out of sight, the monsters wouldn’t pursue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di and Jiang Xian had just ducked around a corner, hiding from the goat-man’s chase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This won’t work. We need a plan to escape this maze.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian gritted his teeth. They were safe for now, but what came next? No one knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, if they couldn’t escape, their food and water would run out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, even without monsters, they’d die of hunger and thirst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I once read online that if you follow one wall, you’ll find the exit. Should we try that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian snapped: “Fatty Zhang, I told you you’re stupid. What about all the monsters along the way? Get blocked and you’re dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, that only works on simple mazes. Useless against compound ones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di scratched his head: “Still gotta try. As for monsters—I’ll lure them away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These things are dumb. If you run fast enough, they just go back to their spots.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can take turns pulling them, clear the blocked paths.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xian’s eyes lit up. After thinking it over, he realized the plan had merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your idea’s good—but we can improve it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This maze isn’t all walls. There’s rubble, even flowers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can use rocks to lure monsters. One person might even manage it alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fatty, when I throw a rock at that goat-man, you slip past.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Di nodded. The two began their escape through the maze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thank you to CrazyWarriorDragon for the 100,000-point donation.\u003C\u002Fp>",1183,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","13c59d4469a24fc34ac6bd83614a1578ac46f6034b7b35f88e9c0961bd170bc0","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-52","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-50",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]